Nuclear Science

Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory

May 30, 2013

The Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory (IFEL) was initially designed and constructed to permit the safe handling of increasing levels of radiation in the chemical, physical, and metallurgical examination of nuclear reactor fuel elements and reactor parts. The IFEL was constructed in 1963 and is a two-story brick building with a partial basement. The front or northern-most section is a single-story office area. The two story area to the immediate rear houses the cell complex, the operating areas, and other supporting activities. The office area is isolated from the main part of the building, so the office area can be excluded from the secondary containment zone. The facility has a gross floor area of about 27,000 ft2.

Applications

Receipt and handling of irradiated materials (fuel or nonfuel in shielded casks)

Capsule disassembly

Nondestructive and destructive testing of irradiated materials

Full-length LWR fuel examination

Repackaging of spent nuclear fuel

Packaging and shipment of irradiated materials (on-site & off-site)

Examination and testing activities such as metrology; metallographic sample preparation by sectioning, grinding, and polishing; optical and electron microscopy; gamma spectrometry; and other physical and mechanical properties evaluations as appropriate to the experimental objectives of a particular program.